Michael Bargo, Jr., was sentenced to death for his involvement in the 2011 murder of Seath Tyler Jackson, 15. Michael was cast as the ringleader within a group of co-defendants. Seath was beaten and shot, and then his body was burned, while he was still alive, in a backyard fire pit. The remains were shoveled into paint cans that were then discarded in a lime rock pit. Police found at least three buckets with the teen’s body parts. An autopsy report later confirmed that the dismembered parts belonged to Seath.

Seath’s mother had originally report him missing when he didn’t return home that Sunday. Police had already started their missing person’s investigation until a parent called them to say that her son had witnessed the murder of Seath. The youth decided to tell his mother the truth about what really happened after a news report appeared on the local news.

Michael’s four younger co-defendants, Amber Wright, Charlie Ely, Justin Soto, and Kyle Hooper, were also charged with first-degree murder and are all serving life prison terms. Michael is the youngest person on death row.

Michael took the stand in his own defense and told the jury he wasn’t at the home on the night Seath died and, if anything, was merely an accessory after the fact. But several independent witnesses testified that Michael confessed to them his role in Seath’s murder. Testimony identified Michael as the shooter and Kyle as the person who beat Seath. Kyle did admit to saying he wanted to kill Seath one week before the murder. Evidence showed that Seath and Michael were feuding over Amber, who had dated Seath. Amber, 14, lured Seath to the house.

The breakup between Seath and Amber had been bitter, and it all played out on Facebook. Here are a couple of the Facebook posts:

“Amber: (to Seath) “Yuur nothing but a huge (expletive) joke! All yuu know how to do is b-tch tlk (expletive) and whine when yuu don’t get what yuu want! Get over the fact that I left yuu. Get the (expletive) over YOURSELF bro! Yuur not needed here any (expletive) more. So catch the… hint and dip out! I don’t need yuu for (expletive) anymore. So just pack up and leave me be (epithet)! Turst me im sure yuu can do it, its really not hard. But then again it might be hard for yuu. Yuu know seeings how your not so bright anyways (just saying) but I think ive said enough here. Buh bye!”

“Seath: (to Amber) “ok (derogatory name) your hous is giting (burned) the (expletive) down with your (expletive) in it with your moma kyle your (expletive) dady and yo (expletive) boy frind and I will dip out but ummmmmm just for the recered how does it feel to be cheated on.”

Amber had begun dating a new guy who absolutely hated Seath. The new guy was Michael Bargo, and a plan was put into place to lure Seath to a home located at 13890 Southeast 53rd Avenue in Summerfield, by sending him a text message that there was a chance to get back together with Amber. But detectives said that when he arrived at the home, he was ambushed by Michael and the others who beat him on the head using wooden objects. He was also shot and placed in a bathtub where his knees were broken. After seeing that the boy was still alive, they set fire to his body in a sleeping bag, then took the remains and placed them in several paint buckets before dumping them in that abandoned lake.

It was a horrible end to an online Facebook battle that took a turn for the worst. A look into Michael’s background showed that he was a troubled teen who grew up with an alcoholic father with an explosive temper. He also had several run-ins with the law. Another bizarre aspect to this sad story is that an adult at that home had the chance to stop it. According to authorities, James Haven III, the 37-year-old stepfather, knew of the plan to kill Seath and later helped his stepson get rid of the body.